Elucidation on Reactions Thermodynamics and Kinetics of OFC-A of Steels

A.V. Adedayo

Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2010.97043                

Abstract

The basic principles of Oxyfuel cutting of metals lie in rapid high-temperature oxidation of the cut metal. Considerable proportion of the published work on the subject of oxygen cutting, the details of the oxidation reaction are overlooked or confused. Most often, physical characteristics of oxidized material is attributed to that of iron rather than iron oxide. The analysis of the oxidation reactions pertinent to Oxyfuel cutting of steels has also been majorly ignored. The oxidation process of iron and steel though similar in some respects, yet, in other aspects, show significant differences. This paper presents experimental and theoretical elucidation on reactions thermodynamics and kinetics of oxyfuel cutting processes of steel. Six 10mm metallurgy steel rods of different wt% C were flame cut using different acetylene and oxygen pressures. The composition of the steel rods used ranged from 0.16 wt% C to 0.33wt% C. Acetylene pressures used ranged from 3.45 x 10^-2 N.m^-2 to 5.52 x 10^-2N.m^-2, while oxygen pressure ranged from 2.76 x 10^-1N.m^-2 to 3.17 x 10^-1 N.m^-2. The result shows that the cutting rates decreased with carbon content of the steel as a result of reduction of iron oxide during decarburization reactions. Theoretical models of the thermodynamics and kinetics of cutting process pertinent to steels are also discussed.

Keywords

Flame cutting, Oxyfuel, Oxyacetylene, Steel oxidation, Decarburization.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	American Welding Society 1997 American Welding Society welding Handbook, 8thsup> ed. New York
[2]	Union Carbide Corp 1975 The Oxy-Acetylene Handbook, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxy-fuel_welding_and_cutting#cite_ref-The_Oxy- Acetylene_Handbook_1-4#cite_ref-The_Oxy-Acetylene_Handbook_1-4
[3]	DeGarmo, E.P.; Black, J.T.; Kosher, R.A. 1999 Material and Processes in Manufacturing 8th ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp 93
[4]	Powell J, Petring D, Kumar R V, Al-Mashikhi S O, Kaplan A F H, Voisey K T 2009 Laser–oxygen cutting of mild steel: the thermodynamics of the oxidation reaction, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 42 015504
[5]	Masachuesset Institute of Technology, 2008, http://OCW.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/materials-science-and-engineering/3-051jspring
[6]	Di Pietro, P., Yao, Y.L. 1995 A Numerical investigation into cutting front mobility in CO2 laser cutting. Int. J. Tools Manufact. 35 673.
[7]	Hsu, M.J., Molian, P.A. 1994 Thermochemical modelling in CO2 laser cutting of carbon steel. J. of Materials Science 29 5607.
[8]	Yilbas, B.S. 1996 Experimental investigation into CO2 laser cutting parameters. J. Materials Processing Technology 58 323.
[9]	Kaplan, A.F.H. 1996 An analytical model of metal cutting with a laser beam. J. Appl. Phys. 79 2198.
[10]	Chen, K., Yao, Y.L., Modi, V. 1999 Numerical simulation of oxidation effects in the laser cutting process. Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol. 15 835.
[11]	Abdulhadi, E., Pelletier, J-M., Lambertin, M. 1997 Development in laser cutting of steel: analytical modelling and experimental validation of the metallurgical effects. SPIE 3097 17.
[12]	Breaban, F., Entringer, P., Vantomme, P., Dard-Thuret, J., Rusaouen, G. 2006 Numerical Modelling of Laser Cutting Carbon Steel. Lasers in Eng.16 267.
[13]	Ermolaev, G.V., Kovalev, O.B., Orishich, A.M., Fomin, V.M. 2006 Mathematical modelling of striation formation in oxygen laser cutting of mild steel. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 39 4236.
[14]	Li,L., Sobih, M., Crouse, P.L. 2007 Striation free laser cutting of mild steel sheets. Annals of the CIRP 56 193.
[15]	Sobih, M., Crouse, P.L., Li, L. 2008 Striation-free fibre laser cutting of mild steel sheets. J. Appl. Phys A. 90 171.
[16]	Suarez L., Coto R., Vanden-Eynde X., Lamberigts M., Houbaert Y., 2006 High Temperature Oxidation of Ultra-Low-Carbon SteelTrans Tech Publications, Switzerland Defect and Diffusion Forum Vols. 258-260 pp. 158-163, online at http://www.scientific.net
[17]	Poirier D., Grandmaison E.W., Matovic M.D, Barnes K.R., Nelson B.D. 2006 High Temperature Oxidation of Steel in an Oxygen-enriched Low NOX Furnace Environment. IFRF Combustion Journal Article Number 200602, September 2006 ISSN 1562-479X, http://www.journal.ifrf.net/200602grandmaison.html
[18]	Mori K. 1988 Kinetics of Fundamental Reactions Pertinent to Steelmaking Process, Transactions ISIJ, Vol. 28, pp 246-261.
[19]	Schwerdtfeger G., Prange R. 1984 Exchange Current Densities for Slag-Metal Reactions. Proceedings of Second International Symposium Metallurgical Slags and Fluxes,ed. by H. A. Fine and D. R. Gaskell, RIME, New York, , 595.
[20]	American Welding Society 1987 American Welding Society welding Handbook, 7th ed. New York.
[21]	Min D. J., Han J. W., Chung W. S. 1999 A Study of the Reduction Rate of FeO in Slag by Solid Carbon, Metallurgical and Materials Transaction B, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp.215 -221.
[22]	Kudrin, V. 1985 Steel Making, English translation, Mir publisher, Moscow, pp 72, 73,76.
[23]	Min D. J., Fruehan R. J. 1992 Rate of reduction of FeO in slag by Fe-C drops, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B , Vol. 23, No.1, pp 29-37
[24]	Dogan, N. 2009 Analysis of Droplet Generation in Oxygen Steelmaking. ISIJ International 49(1).
[25]	Higgins, R.A. 1993 Engineering metallurgy: Applied physical metallurgy, 6th ed.,Arnold. London, pp 499
[26]	Bigeyev, A.M. 1977 Metallurgy of Steel, Metallurgiya, Moscow
[27]	Miyamoto, I., Maruo, H. 1991 ‘The mechanism of laser cutting’ Welding in the world. 29 283.